4 ton too small????

[craftsman101]

I have a 3350 sq FT. 2 story located in northwest indiana near chicago. I had a contractor out the house for a new ac to be installed. . The size he came up with was a 4 ton. Does this sound like an adequately sized unit for the size home that I have???

[dash]

Do you have an existing system??

Man. J,takes window sizes,insulation,overhangs,sq ft ,etc.,etc.,into account,so no way to tell from here if it's correct.Did the measure windows ,etc.??

[craftsman101]

This is a 18 year old home that i just purchased from foreclosure. The a/c unit had been stolen.

[beenthere]

With the limited info you posted.
No way we can begin to know.

[dash]

This is a 18 year old home that i just purchased from foreclosure. The a/c unit had been stolen.

So,did they measure everything?

[RyanHughes]

Contractor said my home was ~3500 sq. ft. (basement, first and second floor with plenty of windows and some cathedral ceilings) and a 4-ton was more than enough (load was less than 4-tons but a lot of registers). Location: suburban Maryland/Metro DC area. As others have said, square footage is not everything.

[doglover94]

im in nw IN also i have no idea what your house looks like or anything but mine is 3200 sq feet 2 story with lots of windows is also 18 yrs old and requires 5 tons of ac.
by the way what town are you in?

[craftsman101]

Is that 3500 sq ft with or without the basement . My 3350 sq ft, is without the basement...

[RyanHughes]

The basement, you will find, adds little to the load under most circumstances. As I said above, ~3500 sq. ft. over basement, first and second floors.

Only a load calculation will tell you if 4-tons is enough. Ask the contractor if he/she did one. My house is older than yours (mid/late 80's), so yours may be better insulated.

[beenthere]

Ryan.
You didn't say 3500 sq ft over basement in your first post.

[RyanHughes]

Ryan.
You didn't say 3500 sq ft over basement in your first post.

"~3500 sq. ft. (basement, first and second floor with plenty of windows and some cathedral ceilings)"

Thought that was pretty much implied. My apologies if that was unclear. When I say over I mean including those three floors.

[Jack2007]

My house is 2600 sq ft, two story basement (not conditioned) had two estimates who said they did load calculations both came up with 4 ton Philadelphia Pa area.
.

[beenthere]

Typed like that, it implies your including the basement in the sq ft.

3500 sq ft between first and second floor, plus basement. Leaves no doubt or confusion, that the basement is additional sq footage. :)

[RyanHughes]

I guess I used confusing terminology. When I mean over, I mean including (i.e. 2500 sq. ft. over 3 levels). Sorry for that confusion, but ~3500 sq. ft. for all three floors, including the basement, required around a 4-ton unit. :)

[beenthere]

Ok..

So the OP has a larger home then you do, since his 3500, doesn't include the basement.

[BigJon3475]

Is that 3500 sq ft with or without the basement . My 3350 sq ft, is without the basement...

The exact same two houses oriented differently and landscaped differently could require two different sized systems. You'll need a load calc from someone that can measure the building themselves and evaluate your property using the load calc. or you can do the load calc. that the site has available. HVAC Calc (http://hvaccomputer.com/talkref.asp)

[RyanHughes]

Ok..

So the OP has a larger home then you do, since his 3500, doesn't include the basement.

Correct, originally I didn't know he wasn't including the basement. So basically my situation should be ignored since my square footage without the basement is likely a bit less than 3000.

[dan sw fl]

3350 sq FT. 2 story
located in northwest indiana near chicago.
I had a contractor out the house for a new ac to be installed.

The size he came up with was a 4 ton.

Does this sound like an adequately sized unit for the size home that I have???

It all depends on Window Orientation / Area / SHGC
and WHICH 4-ton?!

Or is that 2 tons + 2 tons?

[tinner73]

where in Indiana are you???

[jmiles]

Iam in munster